EDEX 2025: Egyptian GM403 radar acquisition confirmed

The image of the GM403 on the Egyptian Armed Forces' stand at EDEX. (Janes/Jeremy Binnie)

The Egyptian Air Defense Forces (EADF) is using the Thales Ground Master 403 (GM403) long-range surveillance radar, it was confirmed during the Egypt Defence Expo (EDEX) 2025 held in Cairo from 1 to 4 December.

One of the photographs used to decorate the EADF's corner of the Egyptian Armed Forces' stand at EDEX showed a GM403 deployed at a location that appeared to be overlooking the Nile. Another image showed the BAE Systems Commander SL surveillance radar previously confirmed to be in Egyptian service.

A poster at the Thales stand used a generic image of a GM403 to illustrate the company's joint venture with Benha Electronics, a subsidiary of Egypt's state-owned Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI).

A Thales representative told Janes that the joint venture with Benha involved maintenance services for the radar.

Reports in 2021 that Egypt had received GM400 series radars appear to have originated from an Egyptian defence blogger and have not previously been confirmed.

The joint venture poster also included images of the Thales Ground Observer surveillance radar and Sophie Ultima electro-optical targeting system, both of which were also displayed on the Arab International Optronics stand, another AOI subsidiary, at EDEX.

It also showed hand-launched UAVs that looked like the Avem/Noctua and Grizzly models made by AeroMapper, a Thales subsidiary.